A Touch of Hope

Chapter 24 - A Friendly Doctor?!

Jack was an extremely talented doctor, having graduated with flying colours. It was upon entering the working environment that Jack began to struggle. The Pax Plague had damaged the healthcare system worst of all. The healthcare system had been designed to be perfect. Every kink had been ironed out, death rates were practically non-existent, people could literally choose when to die. Much of the resources had been placed into prevention as the best cure. Through public health schemes, careful advice and management and patient empowerment, most preventable illnesses had been eradicated. It was then that the Pax Plague struck.

When the first patient had been admitted, nobody thought anything of it at first, they thought it would be yet another curable illness that would quickly be treated and patients would face full recovery. Unfortunately, those doctors that had attended the patient had grown lax in their role and had been improperly trained in controlling infection, as such, they too acquired the infection. It was from there that the infection spread. First it was passed by touch as doctors spread it from patient to patient, failing to wash their hands effectively each time. The patients would then go home and pass it on to their family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues. 24 hours later the first symptoms would start to kick in. 1 week later, they would be found dead.

Given a chance to soak into its environment, the plague could last for up to a year on hard surfaces, ready and waiting for another victim. By the time the plague started to infect the birds and rats, it was of little effect as the plague had already become a global catastrophe.

The hospitals became choked with victims within a week. Unequipped to deal with such large numbers of patients and with staff untrained and unprepared to deal with curative medicine, there was little that could be done. Years of reliance on prevention had removed the capabilities of dealing with such a widespread infection. Panic ensued as people realised what little hope could be offered. Riots broke out within the fortnight. Rioters wouldn't loot anything for fear of taking an infected item, instead mass fires were made to burn the bodies of loved ones and buildings with victims inside would be set fire to and burnt. These fires would quickly spread out of control and into other buildings. Whole neighbourhoods and even cities fell to the flames. People would become recluse out of feel of brushing against the wrong person and succumbing to the plague. Overnight, places of work would be abandoned as people would refuse to come in. Anywhere where people would meet was left abandoned. Even the government disbanded as no meetings could be held. Within a month, anarchy ensued.

It was then that the Raegant made her first move to power. It was as the first rays of sun crept over the horizon that teams of builders swarmed over hospitals. Every door to the outside world was locked before being sealed and bricked up, all of the patients condemned to die inside. Within the course of the day, every hospital in the country had faced the same treatment. It had all been extremely suspicious and complete out of the blue but nobody complained. When the soldiers moved in and seized the local transport networks, media stations and government buildings, there was nobody around to stop them. In the short space of a week, the country had fallen completely in the control of the Raegant, yet nobody complained. By the time anyone did, it was too late.

Jack had been lucky as he'd been recovering from surgery while this had been going on. Unfortunately, when he eventually returned to work, all medical procedures had been changed to be carried out remotely via robot. Doctors were expected to sit down in an office, filled with hundreds of other doctors. They would use a computer to guide a robot to treat a patient, often not knowing why they were doing it or who they were doing it to as communication was limited to essential purposes. Jack didn't last long and quit within a week, disgusted at being unable to talk to and interact with the patients.